Gene Sequencing Company Looks to Revolutionize Heathcare

Human Longevity Inc. That's what genome guru Craig Venter, alongside X Prize Foundation founder Dr. Peter Diamandis and stem-cell expert Dr. Robert Hariri, are calling their latest business and scientific venture.

Venter has been a huge name in the human genome science world for decades, known to be one of the first scientists ever to sequence the human genome and the first scientists to create new genomes in a cell synthetically. Now, his latest goal is to take on connectivity, hoping to expose the causes behind some of the world's most infamous ailments.

Human Longevity Inc., which has already gained $70 million in funding from private supporters, aims to be the largest company to use efficient genetic sequencing to diagnose and treat ailments.

Currently, genetic sequencing is primarily in the research lab due to the fact that even with technological advances, sequencing even two percent of the human genome -- a known region where 85 percent of all genetic conditions originate -- takes weeks if not months. There also is a massive backlog of genetic testing in some labs, where an overwhelming demand for sequencing is pushed by an ever-increasing number of discoveries. In the last few months, genetic sequencing has linked deadly conditions like prostate cancer and even rare childhood brain tumors to genetic drivers.

Human Longevity Inc. hopes to take advantage of this demand, gathering genetic data from thousands upon thousands of people for in-depth sequencing. The resulting data, and the service of sequencing in general, can prove very valuable to researchers, drug companies, and even hospitals, as the focus on genetic causes in disease continues to gain more attention in the medical community.

The company may even help bring genetic sequencing into the hospital room. Currently there is only one computer that can efficiently sequence enough of the human genome to diagnose a patient for a genetic disorder in a timely matter. This supercomputer, the University of Chicago's "Beagle," can collect data on 240 complete human genomes in only two days, about the time it takes for some viral tests to come back.

But this potentially life-saving diagnosis tool is still reserved for research, helping with the massive backlog of research scientists have built up over the last few years.

Instead, Human Longevity Inc. may fill the hole Beagle left behind. Venter's company has already purchased two ultra-fast HiSeq X Ten gene-sequencing systems from Illumina Inc, and plans to purchase three more.